Choices Thrice
by EveryStarryNight10
Summary: Spoiler warningSet post HBP. Harry sets out to find and understand horcruxes, and possibly finds love along the way. This IS an HHr ship, heats up fast. Rated mature for a reason. Don't read if mature matieral offends you.
1. Chapter 1

Choices Thrice

Chapter One

X

"I'm pleased you could join me tonight, Potter. Your presence should make the night more interesting. Perhaps you would like to meet our other guests? For, you see, you are not the only Guest of Honor this evening. I've brought along a few of your little friends as well. Would you care to see them?"

"_This is between you and I, Riddle."_

_A dark shadow crossed Lord Voldemort's face at the sound of his birth name. He pulled his wand from the inner pocket of his robes and waved it. A blazing fire appeared between them, spilling light onto the three tombstones behind him._

_Emerald eyes darted across each tomb, taking in the terrified faces of his friends. Ginny struggled weakly against her bindings, her shocking blue eyes pleading with his. To the right of Ginny stood Ron, bound to a second tombstone. He stood fiercely still, glaring at the back of the Dark Lord's head with a defiance Harry had never seen in him before. To the right of Ron was Hermione, fighting her binding with every ounce of strength she had. After a moment she stopped, raising her cinnamon eyes to meet Harry's…._

Harry Potter awoke with a jolt. For a moment he lay panting on his bed, feeling the sheets cling to his sweaty arms and legs. _"It was only a dream,"_ he told himself firmly.

It was a familiar dream, at that. Tonight would make this the fourth night in a row that Harry had been haunted by that dream. Sighing, Harry pulled himself into a sitting position, crossing his legs and glaring around his room.

It looked almost as though Harry's trunk had been thrown into the room, and upon landing had exploded its contents all around. Socks, books, robes, and old copies of the _Daily Prophet_ lay strewn about Harry's bedroom.

Raking a sweaty palm through his untamable hair, Harry began to ponder the dream. Four nights in a row he had seen these images. Was it more than a dream?

Harry knew quite well where each of his friends were. They were all snuggled into their beds at the Burrow, which was temporarily headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. Various members of the house had placed protective charms on it, and Mad-Eye was the secret keeper.

This was probably a good thing, considering it would be very hard for a Death Eater to get the location out of Mad-Eye. On the other hand, it was very hard for anyone, even members of the Order, to get the location out of Mad-Eye.

The Order had been forced to move out of Grimmauld Place within hours of Dumbledore's death. The reason for this was quite simple: Snape knew.

Harry felt a pang of anger as Snape's greasy image floated through his mind. _"He knows everything,"_ Harry thought, punching a nearby pillow. In the few weeks Harry had been at Privet Drive, Harry had thought about Snape and Malfoy as little as possible. To be honest, he tried not to think of Dumbledore either. The pain was still too great for Harry…

Instead he filled his hours by poring over books, searching for anything that might give him a clue about a Horcrux. _"The locket, the cup, something of Gryffindor or Ravenclaw's…"_

Harry sighed and returned his thoughts to the dream. What did it mean? He was familiar with the scene. It was always the same graveyard. It was the graveyard where Riddle's father was buried. Voldemort had obviously kidnapped Ron, Ginny and Hermione. _"Why?"_

A growing dot outside his window caught Harry's attention. For a moment he watched it approach, slowly gaining in size, before he realized it was not one dot, but three. Harry moved to open his window, allowing the three birds to fly in and perch on his bedposts.

Hedwig hooted dolefully at Harry, offering her leg for him to untie the large parcel. She nipped his finger lightly and flew across the room to her cage. Harry turned to the second owl, and realized it was Pig. He had gotten quite a bit bigger since Harry had last seen him.

Harry managed to get him to stop hopping long enough to remove the parcel from his leg. He grinned as recognized Ron's scrawl on the front of the package.

The third owl was an elegant looking tawny. Harry immediately recognized it as a Hogwarts owl, with what he presumed to be his school letter. He untied the letter and the bird took off immediately. He tossed the letter onto his nightstand. There was no point in opening it; he wasn't going to Hogwarts anyway.

Pushing all thoughts of Hogwarts to the back of his mind, Harry reached out and grabbed Ron's parcel. He tore off the brown paper and a roll of parchment fell into his lap. Unfurling it, Harry read:

'_Harry,_

_How've you been, mate? Things here are quite busy. Fleur has been an absolute maniac with her plans for the wedding. It's almost like she doesn't even notice the other stuff going on. Oh well, it's nice not to have to think about that sometimes. Well, I hope you like the birthday present. Oh yeah, Lupin asked me to tell you that he's coming for you at midnight on your birthday, to take you for your apparition test. So pack ahead, ok?_

_See you soon,_

_Ron'_

Harry put the letter down. He knew that by "other stuff" Ron meant the Order. He smiled and looked down at the colorful box in front of him. Taped to the front was a second, smaller piece of parchment.

'Harry—Thought you might get a laugh out of this. It's from Fred and George's shop.'

Harry snorted as he realized what it was. It was a hair growth prank potion. Turning the box over, he read in the instructions:

'WEREWOLF-IN-A-BOX: Simply add a few teaspoons of potion to your victim's morning beverage and stand back! Instant effect!'

The picture on the font of a the box sported a surly looking witch, waving her arms angrily yanking at the hair covering her face, which was rapidly growing. Obviously, Ron hoped Harry might try it on Dudley. Grinning Harry set the box to the side, and noticed a third piece of parchment, lying amongst the shreds of brown paper he had torn off earlier. Turning it over, he noticed small handwriting, much neater than Ron's. It could only be Ginny's…

'_Harry,_

_How have you been? I'm sorry I haven't written to you sooner. Everything is so crazy. I hope you're staying safe. Just…do me a favor and try not get hurt. I hope that someday you'll come back to me in one piece._

_I guess the point of this letter is to tell you not be a stranger. I know you can't be with me right now, but that doesn't mean we can't be friends. Ok?_

_Happy birthday, Harry._

_Love,_

Ginny' 

Harry smiled again, feeling truly loved by Ginny's letter.

He leaned forward and grabbed the parcel that Hedwig had been carrying. Pulling off the paper, he found a folded letter on top, labeled in Hermione's curvy handwriting.

'_Harry,_

_I hope you've been having a good summer. We haven't heard from you nearly as much as we'd like to, though. Pick up your quill and write me a letter, you lazy troll! I know you have a lot on your mind, Harry, and you're in everyone's thoughts._

_I'm guessing by now you've gotten your Hogwarts letter. I'm also guessing that you haven't even opened it. You might want to. It's a letter from McGonagall. She knows you're not coming back. She knows Ron and I aren't either. No matter what you say, Harry, we're going with you, so don't bother arguing. You know how stubborn I can be._

_Anyway, I hope you enjoy your birthday present. I saw it and knew it was perfect for you. You'll see what I mean. Happy birthday, Harry. I hope I see you soon._

_Love,_

_Hermione'_

Picking up the package, Harry was surprised by it's weight. Harry lifted the lid and peered inside. He immediately understood why it had been so light. It was an empty pensieve. Harry grinned at Hermione brilliance.

Harry set it down in front of him and grabbed his wand. Tentatively, he touched it to his temple, concentrating on one thought. He slowly pulled his wand away, a long silver trail floating after it. Pulling it towards the pensieve, it pulled his wand away, as he had seen Dumbledore do on more than one occasion, and let the thought fall into the pensieve.

The thought swirled around for a moment, before forming a clear picture of the graveyard. Harry sighed and set the pensieve aside. Now he could think about the dream later. He leaned over and grabbed the Hogwarts letter off of his nightstand.

'_Mr. Potter,_

_By now I have figured out that you won't be returning to Hogwarts this year. As much as that grieves me, I can't say that I didn't expect it. I would like you to know that you, as well as Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger, are all welcome back at Hogwarts at anytime. I hope you see it in your future to eventually finish your education. You owe that to yourself._

_Also, I would like to extend an offer of help. Anytime you need to use any of the school resources, you are more than welcome. As I'm sure Miss Granger has told you, we have an extensive library, full of useful books. Any help I can offer personally is yours as well._

_Please stay in touch, and please…take care of yourself, Harry._

_Sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Hogwarts Headmistress'_

X

Outside his window, the sun was beginning to set. Harry had spent virtually the entire day in his room. Reading and sleeping were his two main activities this summer. With a sigh he stood up and began tossing oddities into his trunk. Lupin was coming at midnight; he might as well be ready.

It was completely dark by the time Harry had finished. Stuffing a few more socks into his trunk, he squashed the lid down and sat on it, staring around his room.

Number Four had never quite felt like home to Harry. Even so, the thought that he would probably never come back had a strange effect on Harry. The Dursley's had never been his family…but he wanted to say goodbye.

X

Harry found all three Dursley's sitting at the table in the spotless kitchen. They'd all been quietly watching the television when Harry entered.

"Er," Harry managed, clearing his throat awkwardly. They all turned to look at him.

"Yes?" Vernon growled at him. "You're interrupting the news, you know."

"Right, well," Harry began. "I just thought you ought to know that I'm going tonight."

Uncle Vernon's moustache twitched slightly, but he said nothing. "I'm not coming back," Harry added firmly.

"Off to do in Lord What's-its-thingy?" Vernon queried.

Harry nodded. "Voldemort. Lord Voldemort."

Aunt Petunia shifted in her chair, shooting a look at Vernon she stood up. Harry couldn't be sure, but she almost looked upset. She stood before Harry and looked straight into his eyes. "Just…" She glanced at her husband again, before taking a deep breath and starting again. "Just be careful. Y-you're family. You've always got a bedroom here."

Harry stepped back, startled. He smiled crookedly at her. "Thank you." For a moment Harry really appreciated that she was, in fact, his mother's sister.

X

Lying on his bed, Harry was dozing lightly when a loud crack caused him to jump, fall off his bed, fumble for his wand, and jump to his feet ready to hex the pants off of whoever had just apparated into his room.

"Hello, Harry."

"Er, sorry, Remus. You scared me."

Remus Lupin laughed quietly. "Ready for your apparition test?"

Harry nodded, "When is it?"

"In a few minutes."

"But it's after midnight."

Lupin nodded. "Rufus Scrimgeour and I actually agreed on something," Lupin said, smirking slightly. "The sooner you're able to apparate, the better. Personally, I wouldn't be surprised if Death Eater's jump out of every garbage bin you pass from this point on," he added darkly.

Harry snorted. "Comforting, really, thanks."

Lupin shrugged. He pulled his wand out of his traveling cloak and vanished Harry's trunk. "It'll be at the Burrow when you get there."

"I'm going to the Burrow?"

"Well, you did say you would go to Bill and Fleur's wedding, didn't you?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I did."

"Great. Now let's go get you through this test."

X

"I was hoping you'd leave behind a bit of eyebrow, or a testicle or something…" Ron said in mock disappointment.

"Ronald!" Hermione said, smacking him on the arm.

Ron shrugged. "I'm just trying to even the playing field a bit."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Never mind."

Hermione hugged Harry again. "Happy birthday! Did you like your gift?"

Harry grinned, "I did. Thanks, Hermione. You were right about it being the perfect gift. It's just…so much easier to sort out my thoughts when I can view them as an outsider."

Hermione beamed. "That's what I hoped."

"Harry! When did you get in?" Ginny appeared at the foot of the stairs.

"Just now." He leaned over and hugged her, too. "Good to see you, Gin."

Hermione yawned widely behind them. It was nearing four in the morning. "We should probably all get to bed. No doubt Fleur will have us all up early tomorrow. It's W-Day after all."

"W-Day?" Harry asked.

"Wedding Day," Ron said, a disgruntled expression on his face. "You're lucky you've only just gotten here. Fleur's been an absolute tyrant with her wedding plans."

Harry started to laugh, but it turned into a yawn. "At least the wedding doesn't fall on your birthday," he teased. "So, am I sleeping in your room, Ron?"

Ron nodded. "Let's get some sleep."

X

As expected, Fleur woke them all at seven. They did their best to cover up their grumpiness, which was challenging considering they'd only gotten three hours of sleep.

Mrs. Weasley had lain out new robes for both Harry and Ron. They were very formal. They each took a shower and then changed into their robes. Ginny looked beautiful in her bridesmaid dress. It was a pale sheen of gold, which brought out the fiery-gold sparks in her eyes. Hermione wore a stunning pale blue dress. She blushed and grinned awkwardly at her friends as she entered the room, but didn't say anything.

The wedding began and Ron and Ginny departed. They were both in the wedding. Harry and Hermione grabbed two seats. The ceremony was flawless, much to Fleur's delight. When the reception began, Bill gave a toast and raised his glass to Albus Dumbledore. Everyone followed suit.

X

Tipping his head back, Ron emptied his third straight glass of fire whiskey. "This stuff is even better than I'd hoped!" he exclaimed excitedly, pouring himself another glass, filling it to the brim so that he had to sip it before he could pick it up.

Hermione watched him over the rim of her own glass. She was on her first glass still. "You sure you can handle that much, Ron?" she asked.

"Of course I can! Now…" he stood, wobbling slightly as he wiped his hands on his robe, "Let's dance?"

"What?" asked Hermione blankly.

"Dance. Me and you." He grabbed her arm and dragged her off to the dance floor. Harry finished his second glass, laughing as Ron flapped his arms around flamboyantly. Someone tapped him on the shoulder. "Dance with me?"

It was Ginny. "Of course." Harry stood and took her hand. The music slowed to a crawl and Ginny smiled. She put one of Harry's hands on her waist, taking her other hand in hers. She leaned in close to him, moving slowly with the music.

Breathing deeply, Harry could smell her hair. He glanced around the dance floor and saw Hermione wince in pain as Ron stepped on her foot. Fighting the urge to laugh he looked away. A few feet away, Bill and Fleur were looking deeply into each other's eyes.

Bill was no longer the handsome man he had been, Fenrir Greyback had seen to that. His now-scarred face had a different sort of charm to it though. He and Fleur were obviously very much in love.

Harry was a little bit jealous. He found himself once again cursing Voldemort, for taking away his life. He could have been normal.

He looked down and was startled to find Ginny watching him closely. She really did look beautiful in her gold dress. Her red hair fell in delicate curls across her back. Harry realized he had been staring at her, but he couldn't look away. She leaned in close to him, standing on her tiptoes, and brought her lips to his, kissing him softly.

It didn't last long, she broke away quickly. "Sorry," she murmured. "I just wanted to kiss you one more time. I know you're leaving in a day or two."

Harry nodded. He didn't know what he could possibly say.

X

The night wore down and the guests went home. Harry offered to help Mrs. Weasley put things away, but she sent him off to bed.

In his room, Harry fell asleep quickly. Almost immediately, he was back in the graveyard.

The firelight spilled onto the three tombstones and Voldemort laughed cruelly.

"_Tell me, Potter, who will it be? You can save one of them. All you have to do is pick. Who means the most to you? Would it be your precious Weasel?" Voldemort drawled, pointing his wand at Ron. "Or perhaps you're the girl you wanted so badly?" he continued, moving his wand onto Ginny. "Or maybe the Mudblood?" he finished with a sick smile, his wand alighting on Hermione. "It's now or never, Potter. Pick one or they all die. Who's it going to be?"_

Harry jolted awake again. He reached around for his glasses and realized that his hands were shaking. His whole body was shaking. Next to him, Ron rolled over in his sleep, grunting loudly.

Harry swung his legs out of bed and left the room. He needed a glass of water.

In the kitchen he grabbed a glass from the cupboard, walking over to the sink to fill it. "Harry?"

He jumped, turning around he saw Hermione sitting next to the dying fire in the living room. "Hermione? What are you doing up?"

She shrugged. "Couldn't sleep. You?"

Harry set his glass down and walked over to sit next to her. "Weird dream," he admitted.

"You ok?" Hermione asked, concern flooding her voice.

"Yeah," Harry answered, trying to sound nonchalant. "It really confused me though."

"What was it about?" Hermione asked gently.

"Well," Harry began, "I dreamt I was in the graveyard. And Voldemort was there. He…he had you, and Ron, and Ginny. And he was going to kill you guys. He told me to pick one of you to survive…"

Hermione let out a gasp of shock. Harry decided not to tell her it was a recurring dream. That would only worry her more. "That's horrible, Harry."

When Harry replied, his voice cracked. "I…I could never pick…" he answered honestly.

Hermione moved to wrap her arms around him. "You shouldn't have to."

Harry smiled and hugged her back. "Thanks."

She let go. "Are you sure you're ok?" she asked, staring hard into his eyes.

Harry fixed a smile on his face. "Positive. Thanks."

Hermione yawned. "No problem, that's what friends are for. I should probably get to bed though."

Harry nodded as she stood up. "Night, Harry," she said, leaning down to kiss him on the cheek.

"Night," Harry said turning to face her at the exact wrong moment.

Her lips met his, sending a jolt though both of them. Hermione let go immediately, blushing fiercely. "I, er…sorry, Harry."

Harry blushed. "It's ok…. it was an accident," he muttered.

Hermione nodded. "Right…night."

"Night…"

Hermione disappeared from the room. Harry sat on the couch on shock. _"Was that supposed to feel good? Her lips were so soft…"_

X

Halfway up the stairs, Hermione paused, leaning on the wall. She slowly raised a hand and pressed it to her lips. Her heart was pounding harder than it ever had before. She had definitely felt something…something completely different from when Ron kissed her.

X

X

X

A/N: There you are. Chapter one! I hope you enjoyed it, I know it's really, really long. I'm going by a new screen name, for those of you who have read my fics before. I am both WritngHarry182 and TimeTurner182. You can contact me on AIM as TimeTurner182. Anyway, leave some comments, and I'll try to write as often as possible.


	2. Chapter 2

Choices Thrice

Chapter Two

X

"_It's now or never, Potter. Make your choice."_

Harry Potter awoke with a groan. This was becoming tiresome. He needed to get some sleep; he was supposed to leave tomorrow.

"_And go where?"_ his mind asked. It was an appalling, yet unavoidable question. The time had come for Harry to depart in search of the Horcruxes. The plan was to get up early and head to Hogwarts.

School was not yet in session, which meant they could use the library as much as they needed to. Hermione had owled Professor McGonagall, who would be expecting them in the late afternoon.

Hermione had not acted any differently towards Harry since the accidental kiss, which was probably all for the better. Harry had done his best to be himself as well, although there had been a few moments where he had realized he had been staring at Hermione's lips.

"_They even look soft…"_ Harry shook his head. He couldn't afford to think about it. He had much more pressing things to think about, rather than the softness of his female best friend's lips.

Besides, he loved Ginny. Right? She wanted him back, as soon as…

As soon as he came back…if he came back.

Groaning, Harry rolled over. He needed to shut his mind down and stop thinking. If he kept going like this, his thoughts would keep him up all night. Between Voldemort, Hermione, Ginny, and the Horcruxes, there was no rest.

Suddenly, Ron snored so loudly that Harry was sure the house was falling down. Harry chortled quietly when he realized it was only a snore, and closed his eyes, drifting into a dreamless doze.

X

The next morning, Hermione woke Ron and Harry early. They needed to discuss their first move while the house was quiet.

Tousle-haired and sleepy-eyed, Ron and Harry made their way down to the kitchen. The entire first floor was deserted except for the three of them--a rarity in the Weasley household.

"So," Hermione began briskly, placing three large mugs of coffee in front of them, "What's our first move?"

"The Hogwarts library," Ron said.

"Yes," Hermione said impatiently. "I mean, what are we looking for?" she added, looking directly at Harry.

"Well," Harry said, clearing his throat awkwardly. "I guess we should just start looking for anything on the history. Artifacts, and such. Something of Gryffindor or Ravenclaw's…"

"Right," Ron agreed. "Maybe it's in Hogwarts…the Horcrux, that is," he added hopefully.

Harry shrugged, "It's a possibility."

"The school is really well protected though," Hermione added quickly. "He couldn't have gotten in without Dumbledore knowing."

"What if he made one while he was still in school?" Ron asked stubbornly.

Hermione scoffed, "He couldn't have in school. Underage wizards aren't that powerful."

"Look at Harry! He could make a Horcrux if he really wanted to!" Ron snapped, his telltale ears growing red.

"Are you suggesting Harry would murder someone in order to make himself immortal?" Hermione asked, aghast.

"Guys…please," Harry tried weakly.

"Of course not!" Ron shouted. "Harry would never!"

Hermione glared at him, opening her mouth to scold him again.

"GUYS!" Harry interjected. "Enough! I can't have the pair of you at each other's throats every five minutes out there. It…it's dangerous enough, ok?"

Hermione hung her head. "Sorry, Harry."

Ron gave Harry a half smile. "Yeah, sorry."

Harry nodded, a dark look crossing over his face. "This brings up an important point though. Listen, it sounds terrible, but I'm going to give you guys the same order that Dumbledore gave me on…on the night he died.

"I take you with me on one condition: that you obey any command I might give you at once, without question. I mean that you must follow even such orders as 'run,' 'hide,' or 'go back.' Do I have your word?" Harry asked, quoting Dumbledore word for word. He would never forget the way time seemed to stop when Dumbledore said that to him. Now he understood why.

Ron nodded mutely. Hermione nodded while whispering, "Of course."

"If I tell you to leave me and save yourself, you will do as I tell you?" Harry finished, posing the same question Dumbledore had once done to him.

Harry looked directly into his friends eyes. Ron's eyes gave away a mixture of emotions, fear, resilience, and determination. He nodded again, "You can count on me, mate."

Hermione's eyes were glistening, a tear rolling slowly down her cheek. She quickly raised a finger and wiped it away. "You have my word, Harry."

Harry let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks."

Hermione stood, vanishing their nearly untouched coffee with a wave of her wand. "Perhaps we should pack."

Harry and Ron nodded their agreements, heading off toward their respective rooms to pack.

X

The rest of the morning was spent packing, and saying goodbyes to their friends.

"Take care of yourself, Harry. You're as much of a member of this family as anyone," Mr. Weasley told Harry, while Mrs. Weasley hovered around, asking whether they all had enough socks.

"Thank you," Harry answered. "You guys are the closest things to parents I've ever had," he added seriously, at which point Mrs. Weasley let out a loud sob and ran over to hug Harry. After a minute, Ron and Hermione joined in, making it a group hug.

Finally, it was almost time to go. Harry slipped out of the room to say goodbye to Ginny.

"We're about to go, Gin," Harry said quietly, letting his rucksack fall from his shoulder to the floor.

Ginny nodded, turning to face him. There were tears in her eyes. "Be careful, Harry."

Harry nodded, pulling her in for a hug. "Listen, Ginny…If…if I don't come back…I want you to…"

"Stop, Harry. Stop being noble," she told him. Then she leaned up and pressed her lips to his.

Harry broke away and stepped back. "Bye, Gin," he said, feeling confusion wash over him. _"Nothing. Ginny just kissed me and I felt nothing…"_

"Bye, Harry."

X

"Hogwarts!" Harry shouted, feeling the flames licking at his ankles. The last thing he saw was a teary-eyed Mrs. Weasley waving at him.

Moments later he fell out of the fireplace with a thud, landing in the Headmistress's office at Hogwarts.

"Afternoon, Potter." A moment later there was a second thud. "Afternoon, Granger." A third thud. "Afternoon, Weasley."

"Afternoon, Professor," they answered together, standing up and brushing themselves off.

Harry glanced wearily around the Head office. The first thing he noticed was the large portrait of his former mentor, Albus Dumbledore. Not wanting to look at it, Harry turned and looked around the rest of the office.

The room looked much as it did when Dumbledore was alive. There were still many strange objects that Harry did not understand. There were spindly tables, and old books. The only thing missing, aside from Dumbledore himself, was Fawkes.

Minerva McGonagall smiled at them. "I assume you'd like to head for the library."

Harry nodded, "Yeah, we'd like to see some books."

McGonagall nodded, "I figured as much. I lifted the spell blocking you from the Restricted Section. You can look at any book you like. I just have one question."

Harry groaned inwardly, he had known this was coming. "What are you looking for?"

Harry shook his head, "Sorry, Professor. I promised Dumbledore I wouldn't tell anyone."

"You might say I took the secret to the grave, Harry," Dumbledore's portrait said, laughing at his own joke.

Harry smiled awkwardly, not knowing what to say.

McGonagall sighed, "As you wish it. Well, you know where the library is. Off with you."

X

After a few moments of quietly padding through the hallways, Hermione sighed, "It's so strange…"

Harry nodded silently next to her.

Ron groaned, "Remember the treacle tart, Harry? They served the best treacle tart…"

Hermione scoffed, "Leave it to you, Ronald, to think of food at a time like this."

"A time like what, Hermione?" Harry asked coolly.

"A time…" Hermione began, but couldn't think of how to finish it.

Harry frowned, feeling guilty about being cool with his friend. "Don't worry about it."

X

Once they reached the library, they each grabbed a lantern and split up. They had a lot of ground to cover.

After nearly too hours of flipping through the yellowing pages of old books, Harry's head hit the table, his glasses askew, his sleeping brain racing towards the graveyard…

"_Enough! Your time is up, Potter! Choose…NOW."_

"_Take me, Riddle. Let them go and take me."_

"_I make the rules, Potter. And tonight your friends die. I've given you plenty of time to choose. Who's it going to be?"_

_Helplessly, Harry looked at his friends. Ginny was crying. "Harry, I love you. Save me, please…"_

_Ron's face was pale with fear. "Just kill the bastard, Harry! You can save us all, I know you can.."_

_Hermione stood tall against her tombstone, her cinnamon eye's fusing with Harry's. "Harry, I think I've found something…"_

"_What?"_

"Harry, I think I've found something."

Harry jumped up, tripping over his rucksack and falling on his back, hard. Cursing to himself, he pulled himself off the ground. "Sorry, Harry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's ok. Where's Ron?"

"Asleep on the other side of the library."

Harry snorted. "The fearless defender." He chortled at his own joke. "So what did you find?"

Hermione smiled, turning a large brown volume around on the table, so it's print faced Harry.

'_Godric Gryffindor was the first known wizard to place his trust (and thoughts) into a pensieve. It was in his own pensieve that he placed all thoughts and ambitions regarding Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, including those thoughts of his own colleagues, such as Salazar Slytherin. Today, the location of the pensieve is unknown. It was once thought to reside inside Hogwarts Trophy room, but if it ever was there, it is not anymore. It disappeared…'_

The book went on to describe more about Godric Gryffindor's falling out with Slytherin, which eventually caused the rift that still exists between Gryffindor and Slytherin students.

"Hermione!" Harry exclaimed, lying the book back against the table. "This is brilliant!"

Hermione beamed, "I thought so," she said excitedly, leaning across Harry to pull the book towards her.

Harry caught a whiff of her scent. She smelled like shampoo and old books, it suited her.

Harry leaned forward, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Hermione, I don't know where I'd be without you."

Hermione smiled, "Thanks, Harry," she said, looking into his eyes. For a moment brown eyes locked on green eyes, and time seemed to stop. Harry had never noticed just how brown her eyes really were.

Unconsciously, they leaned toward each other, until Harry realized he could feel her breath on his lips. His eyes seemed to droop heavier, closing against his will. _'If I lean forward another centimeter…'_

It took every ounce of his strength to pull his head, back. "Really, Hermione. This is brilliant," he said, his voice shaking. _'Did we almost just kiss?'_

"What? Yeah, thanks…" Hermione said quietly. For a moment hurt flashed across her eyes, but then she resumed her brisk demeanor. "I just don't know where we could possibly look for it."

Harry frowned puzzling over it. "I guess we should find a place to crash for the night."

X

The Leaky Cauldron was not exactly the most discrete place in the world, but all they wanted was a place to sleep. Tom, the landlord, greeted them enthusiastically, offering them any room they would like, since they were his only customers.

The Death Eaters had made Diagon Alley a dark place to visit. No longer were the shops hustling and bustling. The street was deserted; many of the shops had packed up and left.

The only store, apparently, to have customers, was Fred and Georges's shop. They didn't go in though. They didn't want anyone to know they were there.

"You guys sleep, I'll stay up on watch tonight," Harry had told them, pulling a chair up the only window in the room.

There were two beds, Hermione took one and Ron took one.

Hermione couldn't sleep. She watched Harry's dark outline pace around the room, stand at the window, lean in his chair, and pace again.

'I thought he felt it too. I thought he wanted to kiss me. Why? It doesn't matter. I love Ron…right?'

X

"Ron, wake up. Harry's gone."

"No, you can't feed turnips to a hippogriff…."

Hermione rolled her eyes, smacking Ron hard out of frustration. "RON!" she shouted, causing him to bolt upright. "Harry's gone," she added, much more quietly.

"What?" Ron snapped, his eyes darting around the room. "He wouldn't leave us."

"Well he has."

"'Mione…" Ron said, using his pet name for her, taking her hand.

"Ron, for the last time: Don't call me that!" she snapped, yanking her hand from his.

"Sorry," Ron murmured, his ears glowing red.

Hermione sighed and sat down next to him. She felt bad for snapping at him, but she really did hate that name. "It's ok. I'm just tired."

"Didn't you sleep?"

"A bit."

This time when Ron tried to take her hand, she let him. They weren't dating, per say, but things had changed between them after Dumbledore's death. They never discussed what was happening between them. They had kissed a few times, but to be honest Hermione just didn't feel anything. After all the years she'd spent hoping Ron would pluck up the courage and ask her out, it was rather a let down.

She let him hold her hand, and kiss her, because she kept hoping she would feel it. She hoped it would wake up inside of her, and complete her, but it never did.

'But when I kissed Harry…'

Hermione shook the thought away as Ron leaned forward to kiss her.

X

Tired, but happy, Harry headed towards his room in the leaky cauldron. His leg was killing him, but there was no doubt in his mind that Hermione could mend it for him. Shifting his bag on his shoulder, Harry felt the weight of the pensieve bump against his back.

X

"Ron…" Hermione said, breaking the kiss that had barely begun. "Do you…do you really feel anything?" she asked, looking him in the eye.

"Well, yeah, it feels good."

"No, Ron. More than that, do you really feel something?"

"I don't know. What am I supposed to be feeling?" Ron asked, his ears growing red. Was she saying he wasn't a good kisser?

Hermione sighed, "I don't know either."

Ron's face fell, understanding. "No, I don't."

Hermione gave a sad smile. "Sorry."

Ron nodded, "Can we just give it one more try?"

Half-heartedly, Hermione let Ron lean in to kiss her, hoping, praying she felt something.

X

The door swung open, and sudden anger flared in Harry's chest. Ron was leaning into Hermione, pressing his lips on hers. Clearing his throat loudly, "Ahem!"

Ron jumped back, ashen faced.

"Is there something you need to tell me?" Harry asked stiffly, slamming the door behind him. "There's no room for secrets here."

Hermione shook her head. "We're not dating, if that's where you're going with this, Harry."

"Oh? That's not how it looks. Friends with benefits, perhaps?" he said with a sneer.

"It's nothing, Harry. Really," Ron said quietly. "Nothing," he added with a meaningful look at Hermione.

"You felt nothing?" she asked, suddenly forgetting Harry was even in the room.

Ron nodded. Hermione smiled. "That's a good thing, Ron. We can both move on from our childhood crush."

Ron smiled too. "Yeah."

"What?" Harry asked, sounding frustrated.

Hermione sighed, "Harry, everyone knows I fancied Ron. Now we both know it's not there anymore."

Without realizing it, Harry let out a sigh of relief, his eyes fixing on Hermiones.

Ron coughed, "So where were you this morning? And why is your leg bleeding?"

Hermione gasped, noticing the red slash that gaped through the hole in his jeans.

"I went and got us a Horcrux."

"What the hell, Harry?" Ron snapped at him. "I thought we were bloody in this together?"

Harry sighed, "I know…I just…I had to get this one alone." He paused, as if trying to decide how to word this. "Last night, while I was on watch, I realized where it was. I found the pensieve, Hermione."

Hermione took a sharp intake of breath. "Where?"

"In the strangest place. Do you remember last year, how the Death Eaters got in?"

"The Vanishing Cabinet," Ron supplied.

"Right," said Harry. "And it was in the same place I hid my Potion's book. That's where the pensieve was. Voldemort must have known about the room before he left Hogwarts. I think that when he went back to see Dumbledore, all those years later, he took a pit stop in that room, hiding the pensieve."

Ron grinned triumphantly. "I _told_ you it was in Hogwarts," he said to Hermione.

Hermione sighed impatiently, rolling her eyes before turning her attention back to Harry. "How do we destroy it?"

"I'm not sure, but we can't do it here," Harry said, referring to the Leaky Cauldron.

"We can take it to Grimmauld Place," Hermione said slowly. "I've done a bit of reading on the Fidelius Charm…maybe we can make you the new Secret Keeper, Harry. And make it so Snape can't get it."

Harry sighed; she was right. They needed a place where no one would disturb them, and Number Twelve; Grimmauld Place was rightly his residence.

X

It took them two days to get the charm right. Harry scrawled the words, Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place on a bit of parchment, and once Hermione and Ron read it, the building reappeared before them. "Brilliant, Hermione!" Harry had exclaimed when it worked.

"Well done, Hermione, really…" Ron said.

Grinning, Hermione led the way into the house.

X

Sitting at the kitchen table, they surveyed the pensieve. It was gold, with flecks of red. _Gryffindor colors…_Harry mused.

"So what should we try?" Hermione asked.

"_Destructo!_" Ron shouted suddenly, pointing his wand at the pensieve. The pensieve glowed white for a moment, before rebounding the jinx onto Ron.

Hermione screamed as Ron writhed in pain, falling out of his chair, smashing his head on the table on the way down. Lying on the floor, blood pooled near Ron's ear.

"Shit!" Harry yelled, kneeling next to Ron. He grabbed Ron's wrist, feeling for a pulse, before letting his arm drop. "He's not dead," he muttered to a shaken Hermione.

It took both of them to carry him into the living room and lay him on the couch. "He should be fine when we wakes up. He's lucky his jinx wasn't that strong," Harry said with half a smile.

Returning to the kitchen, Hermione suddenly had an idea. "What if we break it?"

Harry shook his head doubtfully. "It's made of iron, Hermione, I doubt we can break it."

"What if we transfigure it into something more breakable….like glass?"

Harry's brow furrowed, it made sense. Taking his silence as a maybe, Hermione pulled out her wand, pointing it at the pensieve.

"_Glassio!"_ she murmured, flicking her wand sharply. For a moment, it looked as though nothing happened, then, the pensieve seemed to shake, and shimmer, the gold of the metal fading away into…

"Glass," Harry said, tapping the pensieve with his wand. It made chiming sounds with each tap. "Brilliant…" he said, staring in awe at Hermione.

Flicking his wand though the air, Harry conjured a simple muggle hammer. With a glance at Hermione, he raised it above his head, preparing to strike. Hemione took a deep breath, holding it in.

Letting his arm fall, he made contact. The sound was incredibly loud, more like an explosion than a shattering. The cabinets around them swung open, chairs toppled, and Harry's scar felt as though it had split open. Hermione and Harry both fell to the ground.

After a few seconds, the trembling stopped, and they stood, dusting themselves off. On the table, where the pensieve had been, there was a large burn mark, surrounded by bits of gold. Rubbing his scar, Harry began to laugh. They'd done it.

"Hermione!" he shouted, "We did it!"

"Yes!" Hermione yelled, running and hugging Harry.

He wrapped his arms around her waist, "You did it, Hermione. Thank you."

And then he kissed her.

X

A/N: Yeah, I know, it's long. Slow start. I want something deep in this story, more than in any of my other fics. So yeah, this is chapter two. I hope you liked it, I know it's not as steamy as other stuff. I'm building here, people. Anyway, you can find me on AIM as TimeTurner182. Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

Choices Thrice

Chapter Three

X

"_Hermione!" he shouted, "We did it!"_

"_Yes!" Hermione yelled, running and hugging Harry. _

_He wrapped his arms around her waist, "You did it, Hermione. Thank you."_

_And then he kissed her._

And for a moment he let himself enjoy it. Her lips were every bit as soft as he'd remembered.

"Harry…" Hermione whispered, pulling away.

Harry let go of her immediately. "Sorry," he muttered.

"You have Ginny."

Harry frowned. "No, I don't. Ginny and I…we're…" he sighed. "It won't work."

Hermione frowned. What was he saying?

Harry raked a hand through his hair. "You're right. I'm sorry, Hermione."

"Forget about it," she said with a smile.

'_Not likely,'_ Harry thought to himself. "We should go check on Ron."

X

Two days later Ron woke up, a little confused, but otherwise unharmed.

"You destroyed it without me?" he asked, a hurt look on his face.

Harry shrugged. "We didn't know how long you would be out, Ron. Sorry," he added. He really was sorry, he knew this meant a lot to Ron.

"I get dibs on the next one," Ron said.

"Ron, you can't call dibs on a Horcrux…" Hermione sighed impatiently. "Besides, if anyone got dibs, I would think it would be Harry."

Ron rolled his eyes, "You just don't understand the concept of 'dibs,' Hermione."

Harry laughed.

"So where do we find the next Horcrux?" Ron asked, a note of excitement in his voice.

"The locket, the cup, Nagini, and Voldemort himself…" Harry said, more to himself than to his friends.

"Why not go for Nagini?" Ron suggested. "We could probably find her fairly quickly."

"That would mean surrendering the element of surprise," Harry said. "As far as I can tell, Voldemort still doesn't know what's going on. I reckon he would probably realize what we were up to if Nagini suddenly snuffs it."

"Harry's right," Hermione said. "Nagini has to be last…before Voldemort, that is."

"I guess we should start by trying to find out who R.A.B. is," Harry said decisively.

Ron nodded, a dark look crossing his face. "Harry…What happens if we're wrong?"

"About what?"

"About what the Horcruxes are. What if Dumbledore screwed up, guessed wrong, miscalculated?"

Harry paused. He'd never considered this. "Dumbledore's not wrong. Dumbledore's never wrong."

"He was wrong about Snape."

X

"Harry…save me…please…" Ginny's voice had grown weak. Fear shown in her eyes, which were no longer as blue as they had once been.

"_Crucio!" Voldemort shouted, his wand aimed directly at Ginny's chest. She shook and writhed, screaming in agony. _

"_STOP!" Harry bellowed. _

"_Are you ready to put her out of her misery, Potter? Are you finally going to choose? Or shall I continue to torture them?" Without waiting for an answer, Voldemort turned his wand on Ron. "Crucio!" _

_Ron writhed in pain, his face ghostly white under his freckles. _

"_Crucio!" Voldemort shouted, this time pointing his wand at Hermione._

"STOP IT!" Harry shouted.

"STOP!" Harry shouted. "STOOOOOPPPPPPP!"

"Harry! Harry? Wake up! RON!" Hermione shook Harry's shaking form, trying to wake up, calling desperately for Ron's help.

Ron stumbled into the room, looking confused. He saw Harry and ran over to him, smacking his face lightly. "Harry, come on, wake up."

Harry's eyes shot open. Hermione was surprised to find them red and bleary. "What? What's going on? You guys are alright?" Harry asked shakily, reaching for his glasses.

Ron helped him into the sitting position. "Bad dream?" Ron asked.

Harry shot a glance at Hermione; he hadn't told Ron about the dreams. After a pause, he nodded.

"You can go back to bed, Ron," Harry said, "I'll be fine."

Ron gave his friend and apprehensive look, but left the room.

"Want me to go, too?" Hermione asked quietly.

"Not really," Harry said. "Will you stay here…until I fall asleep?"

Hermione smiled. "Of course." She crawled onto Harry's bed and stretched out next to him, leaving at least a foot between them.

"Thanks, Hermione," Harry said. "I can't sleep when I'm alone. The dreams always come when I'm alone."

Hermione took Harry's hand, gripping it tightly. "This is what friends are for," Hermione told him, closing her own eyes. Suddenly she hated the word 'friends.' _"But that's all we are,"_ she told herself firmly.

X

"Finding the locket and cup are the biggest problems right now," Ron pointed out a few days later at breakfast. Leaning back in his chair, he tipped most of a large glass of pumpkin juice down his throat.

"I just wish we could find something about R.A.B.," Hermione said, her voice shelled in frustration. "We've found R.A.B.s…but none of them were _the_ R.A.B."

Harry nodded. "Ricardo Allen Biscuit: World record holder for most turnips hidden in the human body."

Ron shuddered, "I don't even want to know…Let's see, and then there was Reena Alexandra Bornus, the pixie collecting witch from Ireland."

Hermione snorted, "And don't forget about Rodger Arbor Beeknittle, first wizard to ever speak troll." She laughed, "Couldn't be hard, could it? Just point and grunt…"

Harry chuckled. "I just wish I'd heard of an R.A.B. before…" he said, a dark looking crossing his features.

X

The next morning, Harry woke up earlier than usual. Hermione was still holding his hand. Smiling, Harry squeezed his hand free of hers, trying not to wake her. For the last several nights, Hermione had come into Harry's room after Ron had fallen asleep, and taken Harry's hand.

They both slept easier that way.

They didn't tell Ron. Ron would take it wrong, not that they were doing anything wrong…they just decided it was better not to tell him.

Stretching, Harry slipped out of his bed and left the room. Quietly, he padded down the stairs and into the drawing room. He conjured himself a steaming cup of coffee and pulled a chair up to the window, watching the street awaken below him.

After a while, something caught the corner of his eye. Standing, Harry made his way over to the Black Family Tapestry. _The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. _Snorting, Harry noted the burn marks, remembering how Sirius had described his mother blasting off various members of the family.

Harry's eyes scrolled through the tree, lighting on one name in particular: Regulus Black.

'_What was his middle name?'_ Harry closed his eyes and tried to remember what Sirius had said about his brother.

"He was younger than me," said Sirius, "and a much better son, as I was constantly reminded."

"_But he died," said Harry._

"_Yeah," said Sirius. "Stupid idiot…he joined the Death Eaters."_

"_You're kidding!"_

"_Come on, Harry, haven't you seen enough of this house to tell what kind of wizards my family were?" said Sirius testily._

"_Was he killed by an Auror?" Harry asked tentatively._

"Oh no," said Sirius. "No, he was murdered by Voldemort. Or on Voldemort's orders, more likely, I doubt Regulus was ever important enough to be murdered by Voldemort in person. From what I found out after he died, he got in so far, then panicked about what he was being asked to do and tried to back out. Well, you don't just hand in your resignation to Voldemort. It's a lifetime service or death."

"Hermione! Wake up!"

"Huh?"

"R.A.B.! I think I've found him!" Harry shouted excitedly before running down the hall to Ron's room.

Back in the drawing room, Harry pointed enthusiastically to the tapestry, recounting what Sirius had told him so long ago.

Hermione sat quietly, listening until he was done. She stood up and clapped her hands together. "Harry, I think you could be right!"

Ron frowned, "So what do we do now? How do we find out?"

"Good question."

Changing topics, Ron said, "Got an owl from Mum this morning."

"What'd it say?" asked Hermione.

"She wants us to come for a visit. Personally, I think she just wants to make sure we're still alive…but she'll probably cook us a feast, and we haven't exactly been eating much since we left."

"It's only been two weeks, Ron."

"I like food," Ron said, grinning and patting his stomach.

Harry sighed, "Yeah, we can stop in. But only for a day, ok?"

Ron smiled. "Ok, I'll let her know we'll be in tomorrow around noon."

X

In the two weeks they'd been gone, Harry had thought a lot about this relationship, or lack there of, with Ginny. He knew one thing for sure; the happiest he ever felt was when he woke up every morning and found Hermione next to him…and that scared him.

"Hey, Gin," Harry said softly, pushing her bedroom door open a few inches.

"Harry!" Ginny said, getting up from her bed where she'd been folding her robes for school. The term was starting at the end of the week. "How are you?" she asked, looking him over as though she expected to see him sprout tentacles.

"I'm good," said Harry, running his hand though his hair nervously. "We're all good."

"Good," Ginny said, looking at her hands. "Why is this weird?" she asked pointedly.

"I don't know," Harry said, breaking into a reluctant smile. He'd always loved her direct manner.

"Harry…would you ever hate me?" she asked suddenly.

Harry frowned, "Of course not!"

"Even if I thought I might like someone…someone else…?"

Sitting down on her bed, Harry took her hand and pulled her down beside him. "Gin, you mean a lot to me, but I don't expect you to wait around for me. That wouldn't be fair. And you can't expect the same of me."

Ginny smiled for a moment, before turning to face him. "It's Hermione, isn't it?"

Harry tried to look shocked, "What? Hermione? Never."

Ginny smirked. "Whatever."

"Thanks, Gin," Harry said, leaning over to give her a hug.

X

Out in the hall, Hermione padded sadly down the stairs. She'd been on her way to tell Harry and Ginny that dinner was almost ready when she'd over heard a bit of their conversation.

"Gin you mean a lot to me…" his voice grew quieter, and she only made out bits of the rest. "Wait…for me…fair…expect the same…"

"It's Hermione, isn't it?" She asked suddenly.

His reply was quite clear. "What? Hermione? Never."

Turning away, Hermione returned to the kitchen, feeling a strange emotion. Some silly bit of her had thought that maybe, just maybe, Harry fancied her. Lately, she'd been listening to that silly bit.

X

That night a dinner, Harry felt happy. Ginny was content to be his friend, maybe now he could turn his attention to another. He glanced hopefully across the table at Hermione.

Something had changed in her normally chatty disposition. She seemed quiet tonight, withdrawn even. Silently, she was pushing her last bites of pork around her plate repeatedly. Even her normally cinnamon eyes seemed dark, murky, and sad. Once, Harry even thought he'd heard her sigh.

"Thanks for dinner, Mrs. Weasley. It was good to see you."

"Yeah, thanks, Mum," Ron added, letting out an appreciative belch.

"Here's some leftover's," Molly Weasley said, pushing several bags of food into their hands.

"Thanks, Molly," Hermione said quietly, getting ready to apparate.

X

Lying awake in his bed, Harry waited for Hermione to come into his room. He wanted to talk to her. Maybe tell her…_'what? Tell her you love her?'_

After an hour, Hermione still had not come. Drowsily, Harry began to dose.

"_Well, Potter? What will it be? Passion, friendship, or love?"_

_Harry knew whom he should choose. Only the terrified looks on Ron and Ginny's face kept him from screaming Hermione's name. He loved her, but he was afraid to leave them. He loved them all. He just loved her the most._

"_Harry…" Ron's voice called to him. "Choose Hermione, you guys will be happy together."_

"_Choose Hermione," Ginny echoed, "It's the way it's meant to be."_

_Turning from his friends, Harry locked eyes with Hermione, startled by how brown they were. "I choose, Hermione."_

_Voldemort began to laugh, his voice growing louder and colder. He turned slowly, fixing his wand upon Hermione. "You love that? The Mudblood?" He paused, smirking at Harry._

"_Avada…"_

"NOOO! HERMIONE, PLEASE! I LOVE HER!"

"Harry! Wake up!"

Harry opened his eyes to find a pale Ron hovering over him. "Ron," he mumbled, "where's Hermione?"

Ron sighed and sat down next to his friend. "In her room, asleep. Personally, I'm surprised she even remembered where her room was. It's been awhile since she's slept their."

Harry stared at his friend, his mouth hanging open. "How did you…?"

"Oh, I came in here one morning and saw you both asleep."

"We weren't doing…"

"I know."

"We're not…"

"I know."

"Ron?"

"Yeah?"

"I love her."

"I know." He chuckled, "And even if I hadn't, you were sort of shouting it in your sleep a minute ago."

"Er," Harry began. "That's why she started sleeping in here to begin with. When she's here, I don't have those horrible graveyard dreams."

"What dreams?" Ron asked.

Harry sighed. "I…I dream I'm in the graveyard. Every night. And in the graveyard, Voldemort has you, Hermione and Ginny all tied to tombstones. And he says he's going to kill you all, unless I pick one person to survive. I get to pick one of you to live, and watch the other too be killed. It's…it's horrible."

Ron stared into the space ahead of him. "That is horrible."

Harry nodded mutely next to him. "Listen, Harry," Ron said seriously, turning to face him. "That will probably never happen, but if it does…I want you to pick Hermione. You guys belong together. I was in denial about that for a long time…I fancied her for years. I'm not meant to be with her. You are, Harry."

"She doesn't love me."

"She's afraid, Harry. She's afraid for you, and that scares her."

X

"Hermione? Can we talk?"

Hermione looked up from the book she was reading. She was alone in the drawing room, curled into an armchair near the fire. "Sure," she answered coolly.

"What's going on, Hermione? Something happened yesterday to make you angry at me. What is it?" Harry asked, sitting down on the coffee table in front of her, his emerald eyes boring into hers.

"Nothing," she scoffed, "Everything is wonderful."

"That's a lie, Hermione. There's no room for lies between us. You, Ron, and I always need to be honest. Secrets could be what kills us," Harry told her, leaning in closer.

Hermione slammed her book down, causing him to jump slightly. "Quit playing up that hero bullshit, Harry. Maybe I'm just not in a good mood."

Part of Harry wanted to laugh, he rarely heard Hermione swear. "I'm not 'playing up that hero bullshit,' Hermione. That's how it is. I need to know what's going on. It's the only way I can protect you."

"You can't always protect me, Potter!" Hermione shouted, jumping to her feet.

"Yeah, well I want to!" Harry shouted, jumping up with her.

Temporarily stunned, Hermione opened and closed her mouth a few times, hoping a come back would pop out. It was hard to stay angry at Harry. "And…and just what is that supposed to mean!"

"It's supposed to mean I love you!" Harry shouted back. Suddenly he stopped. He hadn't even realized he loved her, until it popped out of his mouth. And yet it made perfect sense.

"What?" Hermione whispered, sinking back into her chair.

"I…I love you, Hermione. I have for a while," Harry answered, sitting back across from her, leaning in close.

"But Ginny?" Hermione tried weakly, fighting the urge to lean in and capture his lips.

"We talked about it yesterday. We're over. She likes someone else. And I've been realizing I'm in love with you. This is how it's supposed to be." He leaned in closer.

"Harry…" Hermione whispered. She could feel his hot breath on her mouth. It was making her mind go numb. Harry loved her.

"It's ok, Hermione," Harry whispered, moving to close the distance between them, letting his eyes droop shut, waiting for the soft contact of her lips.

But it never came. He opened his eyes to realized that she had pulled back, leaving him hovering awkwardly toward her, his lips pouted out.

"Harry…we just can't. You have a world to save."

Taking her hand, Harry looked hard into her eyes. "Hermione…without you, the world isn't worth saving."

Hermione smiled despite herself. "Harry, if that's true, than you go save the world. I'll be waiting for you when you come back."

She leaned forward and softly gave him one kiss, before she stood up. "And you will come back. I know it."

That night, Hermione went back to sleeping in Harry's room, holding his hand tightly in hers.

X

I will win this battle. And I will win it for Hermione.

X

A/N: There you are, chapter three. I know a lot of you sent me requests for more kissing action, but I'm trying to build something deeper in this fic. I hope you still like it. There will hopefully be a few more twists and turns in it before all is said and done. Anyway, leave some reviews, I like to hear what you guys have to say!


End file.
